Boiler-feeder.



No. 655,064. l l Patented my 3|, |900. H..1. nAvls, P. s. AuLT, w. w. BMLEY & .1. H. wllJl-:MAM

BUILEB FEEDER.

(Applicatiqn led Max'. 16, 1900.)

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No. 655,004. Patented July 3|, |900. H. .1. nAvls, P. G. AuLT, w. w. BAILEY & .1. H. wmEMAN.

B0|LEB FEEDER.

(Application led Mar. 18, 1900.) y(lloilodel.) 2 Sheats-Sheet 2. Y

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PATENT @ERICE HENRY J, DAvIS, PLAYFAIR e. AULT, WILEER w. BAILEY, AND JAMEs IL wIDEMAN, on BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

BOILER-FEEDER.

y SPECIFICATION formingrpart of Letters ramene No. 655,964, dated July ei, 1900. Application filed March 16, 1900. Serial No. 8,976. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY JACKSON DAVIS, PLAYRAIR GOODWIN AULT,'WILBER WHEELER BAILEY, and JAMES HARDY WIDE- MAN, of Birmingham, in the county of Jelferson and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Improvement` in Automatic Boiler-Feeders, of which' the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to steam-boilers; and it has for its object an apparatus which will automatically maintain a uniform water-level in a boiler, the level being maintained at any desired height, predetermined before placing the apparatus in connection with' the boiler,- the variation being eected by moving a counterbalan'ce or governor weight applied tothe rocking lever of aweight arranged in the tank that receives the charge of water to be fed to the boiler. y V

The invention consists in certain combinations and arrangements of the parts and certain details of construction which we shall hereinafter fully describe and claiin.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part offthis specification, in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both views. f Figure 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus with parts in side elevation, and Fig; 2 is a sectional plan view.

Our boiler-feed apparatus is provided with a cylindrical tank A, in which is located a water-displacing weight B, preferably likewise of cylindrical shape and spaced from the walls of the tank A. The weight B is carried by a rod X, itted through an opening in the cap A and pivotally connected at its upper end above said cap with one arm G of a counterpoised rocking lever, said arm being inclosed in a chamber Y, formed on the cap A. The said arm G `is secured to' a transverse shaft Z, journaledin the side 4walls of the chamber Yfand extending through a stuiiingbox B tothe outside, whereit has attached thereto the'otherarm H of the said lever,V Said arm H having aweight F-adjustably held thereon and-so arranged with respect to the weight B that the latter will raise the former when it 4is out of water, but will be itself raised when partly submerged in water. This weight' F is a governor for regulating the level l of water in the boilerthat is to say, by adj usting it on the lever-arm H toward the shaft Z the vapparatus will feed the boiler (not shown) t0 a higher level, and by moving it outward on said arm the feed or supply will be less. The arm His further provided with a pin H', inserted in an elongated slot I in the upper `end ofthe valve-rod I, which latter passes abut'rne'nts C4 and C5, adapted to be engaged bythe head Con the valve-rod I to reciprocate the stem Cx. 'y In the chest C is also fitted a; valve-stemi Cy,formed with a shouldered valve C2, adaptedfto govern the exhaust Or outlet port` CZ, and having an abutment C, which alternately with theshouldered Avalve Cl is also adapted to be engaged by the head C34 on the rod I. `An exhaust-pipe VS,^openi1`igV into the air, is connected with the'outlet-port CZ of the chest, as shown.

From the steam space of the chest C a small steam-pipe T entends, opening at its other end into the bottom of a cylin'der U, in which is fitted a piston V, provided with pack- `ing-rings V and carried on a stem D', which passes through the upper head of the cylinder, through a bridge D2 in a chamber D3, and is provided with an exhaust-valve D, adapted to lit on a seat D4 in said chamber. Steam-passages U are formed in the head of the cylinder U, as shown. The piston and valve-stem D extends above the valve D into aT P' and is formed at its upper end with a disk d, adapted to abut against a similar disk e on the lower end of the valve-stem E', carryin g a valve E, governingthe passage'through the chamber E3 and guided by a b ridgeE?.` A pipe leads from the chamber E3 to the steamspace of the boiler. N designates'a steampipe leading from the T P and discharging into the upper endof the tank A` above,` a perforated condensing or baffle plate W, held therein, as plainly indicated in the drawings, and M designates the water-supply pipe, pro- Avided-with check-valve K and also opening IOO into the` lupper end of the `tank A above the plate W. vThis baiiie-plate is intended, primarily, to receive the force or thrust of the steam entering the tank A through pipe N and also ofthe Water discharged from pipe M, thereby preventing V4the ,weight B being suddenly forced downward.

The water is supplied tothe'boiler means in Fig. l.

The/tank A of the apparatus isplaced adjacent to the boiler at a height that the sur- `face of the water in the tank when 'it has receded suiiiciently to carry weight B to the limit of its downward stroke shall be practically on a-level with the line at which it is desired to maintain the water in the boiler.-

The operation is -then as follows: Starting with the tank A empty and weight B at the downward limit of its stroke, water is turned on through the pipe M and as it fills the tank A raisesV the weight B to `a point where it causes the arm I-I of the rocking lever to carry the valve-rod I downward. Such movement of the stem-opens the valve C', allowing steam to pass from the pipe R into the chest G, thence through they pipe T into `the cylinder U, where it forces the piston V upwardly and closes exhaust-valve D. At the same time the stem D" raises the stein E and opens the admission valve E, allowing steam to pass from the boiler, through pipe P and pipe N, into the tank A, thereby equalizing pressure and causing water in the tank A to flow into the boiler by'gr-avity through the pipe Q. As the water recedes in the tank A the weight vB moves downwardly, carrying the arm H ofthe rocking lever upwardly when it is near the terminus ofthe stroke and raising the valve-rod I. Such use of said rod will close the valve C,

which is assisted toits seat by the steampressure in the pipe R. Near the completion ofthe upward movement of the rod l the head Q3 thereof will engage the abutment or collar GQopening the valve C2, and thus permitting the steam inthe pipe T and behind the piston Y-to exhaust through the pipe S. The pressurebehind the piston V having thus'lbeen reduced, the pressure in the pipe P will instantly-force thevvalve E to its seat and open the exhaust-yalve D,therefore allowing steam to exhaust from tank A through pipes N and 0. As soon as pressure in the tank A is reduced toa point below that in the pipe M water instantly flows from the latter over thebaftle-plate W, condensing a portionof thesteamin the tank A, and thus raising the Vtemperature of the water. Since the tankAl never completely empties, the water remainingtherein acquires a-temperature approximately the same as the steam. The operationis then repeated until the water in the boiler shall have risen to a pointthat will notallowweight tosink low enough to open the valve YO2, which will stop the apparatus until water in boiler recedes sufficiently to allow the weight B to make its full downward stroke. Thus the apparatus is perfectly automatic,

Vmaintaining a constant water.- line in the 'boiler by resupplyinggthe latter as soon as a volume of water has been evaporated equiv-4 alent to a charge of the tank A.

A 'Having thus described our invention,what

we claim as new, and desire to secure by Let'- vters Patent, is; the outer air by an exhaust-.pipe O, as shown l. In an apparatus of the vcharacter described,a water-tank connected with a boiler,

weight in said tank, a lever-arm connected "with such displacing-weighufa governorweight applied t'o'said-ar1n andV adapted for adjustmentalong the same for' 'controlling automatically the water-level in the boiler, a

steam-pipe leading from the boiler andopen-V ing into the tank, 4a -valve governing the admission of steam through said pipe, and means for opening and closing said valve by thek rise and fall of said weight, as setforth. 2. In an apparatus of "the characterV described, a tank interposed betweenthe boiler and a water-supply, asteam-pipe'connection between said tank'and-the steam-space of the boiler, a steam-cylinder connected-withsaid pipe and having a head vprovided with passages U, a piston working Avin said cylinder and vcarrying valves- Eand-D `whichA -govern the admission and exhaust of steamirrfsaid pipe, a steam-pipe arrangedtosupply steam behind said piston, asteam-chest connected to said latter pipe, admission and--reducing valves in said chest, and a-wateiFdisplacing IOO IIG

scribed, the combination with the tankconf Y nected with a boiler-*andr asource of watersupply, a displacing-.weight adapted to rise and fall in Vsaid boiler, a rocking lever connected with said weight, and an adjustable governor or counterbalance weight appjliedjto said arm, of a valve-chesta steamdnletvgalve C and steam-exhaust valve C2arranged in said chest and provided vwith -lshouldered stems, a slidable rod having a lengthwise slot engaging` a pin on said? leyerLarm; and' provided with a shoulder or collarwithin the valve-chest, which collar is adapted to'engage the shoulders on the valve-stems, steam-pipes connecting saidchest with -theboile-r, and a steam-chest having admission andexhagust valves and a piston foroperatingjthem, as-

shown and described.

water-supply and the other leading from the steam-space of the boiler, a lioat or weight adapted to control the passage of steam through said latter pipe, and a perforated baffle-plate fixed in the upper portion of said tank above the ioat or weight and extending over the same between it and the exits of said pipes, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of a tank interposed between the boiler and water-supply, a steampipe leading from the boiler into the top of the tank and provided with an exhaust-pipe, an admission-valve controlling the said eX- liaust, a cylinder connected` with said pipes and provided with a piston whose movements alternately open and close said valves, a steam-chest having aconnection with said cylinder, a steam-actuated valve in said chest which is closed by action of steam as soon as lifted o its base, a water-displacing weight in said tank arranged to apply or reduce the pressure in such connection, whereby to move the piston in the cylinder, a lever-arm connected with the displacing-weight, a counterbalancing-weight arranged to move on said arm and thus used as a governor or regulator,

a valve-rod provided with a slot, and engaging a pin on the lever-arm when the lever-arm is near the end of its stroke, the whole apparatus being so placed that the tank does not completely empty, thereby always containing a quantity of hot water for heating the water discharging into it and always feeding hot water to the boiler; a cheek-valve interposed between the tank and the boiler admitting water to the boiler, but preventing the ow in the opposite direction; and a check-valve interposed between tank and water-supply, admitting water to the tank but closing when the pressure is on the tank, all substantially as set forth and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of Itwo subscribing witnesses.`

Witnesses g GEO. B. TARRANT, LOUIS W. TERRILL. 

